"I'm not stupid, Jed," I said, indignant that he thought that little of my brain power. "I gave the Seelie court a month. I only plan to give the Erlking one night. That's it. One chance at negotiation."
"One night?"
I nodded. "Yup. Take it or leave it. And it might not even work you know. I mean, unless there is something the Erlking wants from me, there isn't any real reason for him to even accept my pledge. And if there is something he wants, maybe that's a way for us to end this."
Jed was quiet. Okay, that was good. At least he wasn't flat out saying no anymore.
"I'd feel better if we got Rose's take on this first," he said. "If she agrees, then as much as I hate it, so will I."
I sighed. I had been afraid he'd bring Rose into this discussion. And I had a feeling that she'd never go for it.
"Look, I hate this as much as you do, but I'm planning on doing this. It's the only way, and deep down you know it. So why tell Rose about it and let her worry all night when there isn't a thing she can possibly do to help? I didn't even want to tell you."
He just looked at me. "Be glad you did."
"Yeah, well, mates share things like this," I said. "I mean, you'd tell me if you were going to do something you knew I would strongly disagree with, right?"
"Sure," he said. It would have meant a whole lot more if he hadn't hesitated that second before answering.
"Okay, then. So do we girls still get the cabin?" Like that was going to happen.
He laughed. "How about you girls get the bed, MacDougal gets the couch, and I get the easy chair by the bed. I won't be sleeping tonight anyway."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I may be sleeping, but I'll working while I do."
Even if it was work that terrified the crap out of me.
I'd expected MacDougal to be on my side. But both he and Dell were against my idea. I could understand Dell's reaction. I mean, she was my sister after all. But I thought MacDougal would be totally with me in trying to negotiate with the Erlking.
When he saw my determination to go, he finally buckled down and helped us draft out my pledge to sign. By the time we were done, it was nearly a page long and every possible loophole that MacDougal could think of was covered. He brought up things that would have had me worried about my original contract with Titania's court if we hadn't been on the side of the Seelie court.
Finally, I signed my name and went to bed. MacDougal refused to sleep, opting instead to keep watch with Jed. I would have had trouble enough falling asleep just knowing what may happen when I did. But having two men watch me try to fall asleep was ridiculous. I could feel their eyes on me. I was never going to get to sleep at this rate.
But in the end, sleep won.
Chapter 16
THE UNSEELIE COURT was almost the exact opposite of the Seelie court.
Where there had been almost blinding light on my first visit to the Fae, here there were shadows, where no shadows should be. The castle walls were still stone, but black as a bat's wing. Of course, I only saw the walls out of the corners of my eyes, because I was too busy staring at the throne before me and the creature that sat upon it.
The throne itself was a thing of beauty and at the same time a thing of nightmares. Black stone formed the seamless image of a huge dragon, shimmering in the shadowy court. The glistening stone seemed to breathe with life. The dragon's head was resting on the floor, and the neck consisted of two ridges which served as steps to the actual seat, which straddled the dragon's back like a saddle. All giving the illusion that at any moment the dragon would lift its great body from the floor and take off through the air carrying its royal rider.
And what a rider that would be. I'd seen images of the Erlking in storybooks. They were both right and wrong. The man before me did appear to have the antlers of a stag deer, but a closer look told that he wore them as a hat. They were not, as the pictures had seemed, actually growing from his skull. I couldn't tell how tall the king truly was with him sitting, but his legs appeared to be about my height. To say he cut an imposing figure would be a vast understatement.
Swallowing, I stepped toward the dragon. He smiled at me, his eyes meeting mine and holding them captive. The green irises of his eyes shifted through all the hues of green from light to dark and back again in an almost mesmerizing cycle. It was unsettling, but it spoke of raw power barely contained.
"You are one of the great Benandanti?" he asked. "I'd expected someone a bit... larger than you. Are all the members of your pack so small?"
He shouldn't have reminded me of what I was. It was just the thing to allow me to push past my fear and get down to business. I was Benandanti, damn it.
He would have towered over me even if he hadn't been sitting on the back of the dragon. As it was, I was forced to crane my neck just to see him. Power freaks really annoy me even on my best of days. And this wasn't one of them.
I took a step closer to the dragon's head. No way was I going to climb those stairs, but apparently, he didn't know that. I blinked and he was standing next to me.
Creator, he had to be at least seven feet tall, and that wasn’t counting the horned hat. I straightened my spine to give me every possible millimeter of height, but it was a worthless gesture.
He motioned for me to follow him and we walked over to the west end of the throne room which consisted of giant silken pillows situated in front of a massive fireplace. The pillows were black to match the general décor. Even the fireplace was of a shimmering black stone. Obsidian? Maybe.
I waited for him to sit first. I didn't want to be sitting with him above me. Being seated limits your mobility too much. His eyebrows raised and his mouth quirked, but he finally settled gracefully down onto a cushion. No one that tall should be able to move with that much flair. I plopped down and glared at him to say a word. He didn't.
"I've come to negotiate a truce with you," I said.
"A truce?" he asked. "I was not aware that I was at war with the Benandanti."
"You are trying to kill my sister."
His brows furrowed. "Your sister? Why would I wish any harm to your sibling?"
I drew a deep breath. "Don't play games. I am well aware that we are not of the same blood, but Shaylee is my sister. Raised in the same house as me and by the same parents. She is my sister."
His eyes widened in what could have been surprise. Or possibly amusement. I was glad I could be so entertaining. "Shaylee is a daughter to me. Does this make us related as well?"
"No." I started to elaborate but just stuck to the simple answer. No need to be offensive right off the bat.
He nodded. "I thought not. Most people who... raise... faerie children do not welcome them so thoroughly into their hearts. It is refreshing to think that the Benandanti might yet hold some favor to the Fae."
"Don’t count on it," I said. Straight to the point, that's me. "My parents were special. I don't think the feelings extend beyond my family." I knew Rose sure didn't like the Fae all that much. She didn't even trust Dell, and I was vouching for her a hundred percent.
"I see," he said thoughtfully. "So back to this truce you spoke of. I am assuming you mean my plan to terminate the threat to my throne?"
I swallowed. Talking about murder certainly didn't faze him. "I do. Shaylee does not wish your throne nor your power in Fae. I've come to ask what it will take to convince you of that. What you would take in exchange for calling off your assassins."
The Erlking steepled his fingers and rested his chin on his outstretched thumbs. A classic thinking pose. Then he shook his head sadly and spread his hands outward, shrugging.
"I am afraid I can think of nothing I could ask of the Benandanti that would allow me to let my daughter live. Fae royalty is different than your common human variety, I fear. The rules are very complex. As long as Shaylee lives, she could challenge my reign. With her mother," he paused to growl, "making her into an heir of both courts, she is a double threat." His eyes bored into mine. "I have no wish to
see the Faerie courts united, or I would have reconciled with the witch who is Queen of the Seelie court long ago. It is she who wishes the courts united."
"Is that why she tricked you into getting her with child? To unite the courts? Mac...I mean, I've heard from excellent sources that Titania has no wish to give up her throne either. So why would she want an heir any more than you do?"
A slow smile crept across his face. "An excellent question, Benandanti."
I started shaking slightly. Damn, they were waking me up. Not yet. It was just getting interesting here.
"I fear you are going to leave me soon. Perhaps I will visit you on your plane and we can continue this thoroughly enchanting discussion."
I started to say something, but my eyes flashed open and I was home. Creek up a paddle, I was awake.
And the Erlking was coming.
WE HAD TALKED ABOUT ways to fortify the cabin but came up mostly blank. If we lined the outside of the cabin with an iron ring, no faerie could get in, but it also meant that Dell and MacDougal couldn't get out. A couple of flaming arrows and the Erlking's quest would be accomplished. Basically, anything that might have a shot of working was counted out because the very one we were protecting would be affected, too.
There had to be something we could offer the Erlking to stop this. There just had to be. Even if he didn't know it yet.
But while we thought over our non-existing options, we had to run. If it was just me and Dell, we'd head to the tree house. But the four of us just weren't going to fit.
Hoping against hope that the Erlking hadn't kept up with human technology and the ability to trace Jed's background via computer, we all went to his Greenwood home. With four bedrooms, there was space for all of us. And with his state of the art alarm system, we might even be able to sleep. So we packed up and moved caravan style.
I led in the Jeep with Dell riding shotgun. Rose took the middle position in her van, with Lily and the dogs, all six of them, in the back. Jed and MacDougal brought up the rear in his 1978 powder blue Nova.
This wasn't the first time I'd been to Jed's house, but even so when I turned into his driveway, it still came as a shock. Every time. There was just so much space. It was a beautiful cape cod home with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small sitting room upstairs. Downstairs were the other two bedrooms, kitchen, living room and office. The kitchen was small for the size of the house, but it had a table for six. The office was technically what had been planned for a dining room.
The house itself sat on a large treed lot of probably an acre or so. When I say treed, I don't mean wooded. My acreage was wooded, his was treed. There is a huge difference. You would be hard pressed to count the trees on my property in a full day. Jed's trees you could count on one hand. Still, it was nice and served to give it a little of the country flair, even if it was possible to see the neighboring houses on both sides. In my cabin, you couldn’t even see the road.
Yet another reason Jed's house was probably the safer of the two.
When we got there, he took out a heavy duffel bag from the trunk of his car. It bulged and clanked. My attention really ratcheted up a notch when I noticed that Dell and MacDougal were giving the bag a wide berth.
"Whatcha got in there?" I asked.
He smiled. "A little extra security." He followed us all in and set the bag down in the living room, unzipping it to show me. It was filled to the brim with old-fashioned horseshoes.
I could feel my brows drawing together in a question. But I waited, head tilted, for him to explain.
"It used to be a custom to hang a horseshoe over your front door," he said. I thought back to my grandmother's house and nodded. She'd had one over every door. Front, back, and garage.
Rose reached in and pulled one out. Dell gave a shudder and backed up a step. Rose looked at her and then down at the iron piece in her hand.
"I used to have one over my front door, too," she said. "I'd like to get another if you'll let me know where to find them. Anymore, the ones I see are fake and made of plastic."
"I got extra, so help yourself to a couple of these." He noticed my head was still tilted. Not enough information to make any sense to me yet. Yes, they were iron, but how were they extra security? Were we going to rig them to fall on anyone who opened the door?
"The custom started so long ago that people forgot why they were hanging them there. They became just symbols of good fortune," Jed started to explain.
"Yeah," Lily said. "I remember Gran saying you always had to hang them with the ends pointing up or the luck would run out."
Jed nodded. "That came later. It really didn't matter how you hung them in the beginning. They served as faerie locks. They will keep the Fae from entering in through any door or window topped with one."
"For double the trouble to we faeries they are," said MacDougal, eyeing them. "Iron, yes, and being formed to the shape of the moon gives them extra power over us folk. Doubly effective those cursed things."
Made a lot more sense than my idea of just chucking them at the hunters. Since I throw like a girl, they probably wouldn't be all that effective as ammunition.
Chapter 17
WITH THE FOUR OF US non-Fae working together, it didn't take long to faerie proof the house from the inside. Of course, Dell and MacDougal also couldn't leave the house without our help. It was a win, lose situation. But at least we didn't have to worry that an evil faerie would sneak past the high-tech alarms to attack us in our sleep.
I yawned. Sleep. That which we do when we are tired. I wasn't even sure last night's sleep counted, as I was in a conference the whole time. So, I took a long afternoon nap and left the others to their own devices.
When I woke up, it was getting dark and Jed had pulled a frozen lasagna (thank goodness it was vegetarian) from his freezer and popped it in the oven for our supper. I know Rose and Lily missed their greens, but hey, I was missing the meat so we were on an even keel for once. With our minds occupied trying to come up with a solution to our Erlking problem, it was a pretty silent meal.
Instead of sitting around the table and staring at each other as we waited for one of the others to come up with a brilliant, foolproof plan, we decided to watch a movie from Jed's collection. I'd never really had the opportunity to review Jed's collection before. I was impressed.
He probably had every Spielberg movie ever made and all of the Star Wars films. Every last one of them. MacDougal's eyes lit up when he saw them, but he got outvoted five to one. MacDougal had already watched them all at least twice. He may have an affinity for Yoda, but the rest of us had grown tired of the little green man by now. Besides, we had our own not quite so green version.
We settled for an old-time comedy. Really old time. Like before I was born old. Then we spent the next two hours laughing our asses off. It felt good.
Of course, I may have enjoyed it even more than the others because once again, I had a plan. This time I was planning on keeping it to myself. Because this time I'd be meeting the Erlking on the home turf and no way would Jed agree to let me go alone.
OF COURSE, AS ALWAYS, I underestimated the protective side of my mate. Or then again, maybe we just think too much alike.
I was sharing a room with Dell for more girl time. At least that was my story. Once she fell asleep, I climbed out the dormer and edged myself down to the lip of the roof. Then I threw down my pack and jumped. Luckily, I'm pretty agile and landed on my feet. It could have gone badly. We are not cats. It isn't always a given.
I'd parked out on the street rather than pulling into the driveway for a reason. I hoped the sound of the Jeep wouldn't carry all the way to the house. Or perhaps even if it did they would just assume it was street noise. If I was really, really lucky.
Which of course, I'm not. To prove my point, as I passed the Nova while hugging the shadows, the driver's door opened. Jed got out, and I stopped to stare at him. I would have thought myself in deep crap if he hadn't had on his hunting clothes. He was sneaking off too.
Chances were good we both had the same plan in mind. Going one to one with the Faerie Bad Father.
"You've had your turn. This one's mine," he said.
I laughed. "As if." My turn had been in the dream world where I couldn't be harmed. Not a turn by my way of counting.
"I'm the Spirit Hunter. Let me do my job."
"You're also Luparii, are you going to do that job, too?" I was being hateful, and I knew it. But I wasn't about to be left behind.
"I submitted my resignation two months ago." I hadn't known that. It was good to know but didn't change things in this situation.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know," I said.
"Yes, well, so far they've refused to accept my resignation."
"They can do that?"
"Apparently." He fidgeted, looking back toward the house. "Look, we both know I'm better equipped to handle this."
"Um, I beg to disagree. I've met with the Erlking, and he didn't seem all that belligerent towards me. It's possible that we can continue our conversation and come to a peaceful solution to all this."
"Do you really believe that?" Damn. He had to ask.
"No." I just couldn't lie to my mate.
He looked back to the house again. Jed and I had been together long enough now that he knew my weaknesses as well as my strengths. When he turned back to face me, I guessed what was coming before he even said a word.
"Shouldn't you stay to protect your pack?" he asked.
The jerk. I love him, but he can still be a jerk at times.
I smiled up at him and batted my eyes. "Since you are the better hunter and protector of the two of us, by your own words, shouldn't you be the one to stay?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I believe I said more experienced, not better."
I shrugged. Semantics. "Still stands."
Jed shook his head. "My top priority in life is keeping my mate safe. The pack plays a sad and lonely second fiddle to you."
If I'd have been made of snow, I'd have puddled then and there. He is a real sweet talker, my mate. Unfortunately for him, I felt the same way and I told him so.
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